All Posts Tagged: heel pain

Chicago is proud of its blue-collar roots, and a large portion of the city’s workforce still works and lives on their feet. That can be good for physical fitness, but it can also lead to pain in the bottoms of the feet, whether from a short-term increase in activity or years (or decades) of constant wear and tear.

Pain in the bottom of the feet can have many different causes, whether it occurs under the heel, in the arch, or toward the front of the foot. Your feet are surprisingly complicated— one quarter of your bones are located there. While they are built to last, when feet break down it’s important to get them checked by a podiatrist so you can get an accurate diagnosis, just as you would take a jittery car to a mechanic you trust (if you don’t know how to fix it yourself, that is).

Foot pain conditions range from torn or swollen connective tissues (such as plantar fasciitis in the heel or arch), to swollen nerve tissues (as with a neuroma in the front of the foot), to hairline cracks in bones (known as stress fractures) and more. Many of these conditions share a similar set of symptoms and can arise from similar circumstances.

In particular, bottom-of-foot pain often emerges from overuse. For example, if you have a job that requires you to be on your feet all day, or you do a lot of running or play high-impact sports, you’re more likely to develop pain. This can be exacerbated by wearing inappropriate or ill-fitting shoes, or if you have a biomechanical problem such as flat feet.

Fortunately, we have good news! Most conditions that cause pain in the bottoms of feet are highly treatable, usually through exclusively conservative (that is, non-surgical) methods. Although we can’t guarantee that you won’t need surgery, pain typically responds well to alternative strategies such as:

Custom orthotics

Physical therapy

Modifying footwear

Modifying activities

If you want to get through your day without pain, you need your feet in good shape. That goes double for those out there on their feet keeping our communities safe, which is why we’re proud to offer a 10% discount for members of our emergency services—police, fire, and EMTs.

Find out how we can help you overcome your bottom of foot pain by requesting an appointment online via our contact form, or by calling us at (773) 586-0050. Our office is conveniently located in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, west of Midway Airport.